Celebrate 'A Day Of Percussion' At Sandburg High School

ORLAND PARK, IL -- For those with a trained ear or anyone who enjoys good music can head over to the annual Illinois Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Day of Percussion on Saturday, March 17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s event will take place at host school Carl Sandburg High School, 13300 S. La Grange Road, Orland Park. This jam-packed day celebrates all things percussion with guest artists, clinics, master classes, and concerts.

A non-competitive “uncontest” of solo and ensemble master classes for middle school, high school and collegiate percussionists begins at 8 a.m. Other clinics and workshops throughout the day include:

• Marching percussion clinic by two-time Drum Corps International champion Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps snare line under the direction of Derrick Shannon.
• Playing percussion for Broadway-style theatrical productions with Jeff Handley, noted Chicago theater percussionist and principal percussionist with the Chicago Sinfonietta and Fulcrum Point New Music Project;
• Orchestral and chamber percussion playing with Michael Kozakis, director of the DePaul University percussion ensemble;
• Drum set session with Dana Hall, director of DePaul’s Jazz Studies; and
• World drumming with a focus on the Indian tabla drums with percussionist and composer Krissy Bergmark, a Sandburg graduate and founder of world percussion group, Matra Percussion.

To conclude the day, Matra, based in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, will perform a concert. The group reflects a range of genres from jazz, classical and Indian to bluegrass, world and prog-rock. Other activities during the day include drawings, door prizes and performances by the Sandburg percussion ensembles.

Sandburg and the Illinois PAS Chapter are sponsoring this event. Admission is $10 for PAS members and $15 for the general public. Individuals or groups interested in performing for the “uncontest” or for additional information on the day should visit the PAS website or contact Sandburg director of bands, Stewart Bailey, at sbailey@d230.org.

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